Grinding-machine



Z. LITTMAN.

GRINDING MAcHlN'E.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12, 1916. RENEWED MAY 7. |920.

1,361,883, 'Patented De@. 14,1920.

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GRINDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APII. I2, ISIS. RENEwED MAY 7. 1920.

-`1,361,883. y Patented De@.14,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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GRINDING MACHINE. APPLICATION F1150 AP11.12. 1916. RENEwED MAY 7.1920.

1,361,883, Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Tl gill Z. LITTMAN.

GRINDINGMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR12| 1916. RENEWED MAY 7. ,1920. 1,361,883'. Patented Dee. 14, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 .invented certain new UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZENO LITTMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Yi., ASSIGNOR T WASSON PISTON RI NG COMPANY,

INC., OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW J ERSEY,

GRINDING-MACHINE.

To all whom t may cof/wem:

Be it known that I, ZENO LITTMAN, aciti- Zen of the United States, residing at No. 540 West 59th street, New York city, N Y., have and useful Improvements in Grinding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic apparatus for use in grinding the faces of piston rings, or other 'articles susceptible of similar treatment, and the object is to provide means whereby such articles may be ground expeditiously, with the aid of a simple, compact and reliable mechanism. To this end the invention comprises an intermittently movable carrier for the articles, preferably in the nature of a wheel having a plurality of open pockets to receive the articles, an underlying table for supporting the articles carried in these pockets, and means, preferably an electro-magnetic chuck, for revolving the articles in their pockets beneath a grinding element, and means for energizing and denergizing the magnetic chuck and for bringing the grinding means into and out of action in time with the intermittent movements of the carrier. Means are also provided for charging the articles into the pockets at a charging station and for reversing and discharging the ground articlesat another station. The invention also comprises vaiious combinations and sub-combinations of these instrumentalities, as well as the preferred form of the .elements as herein illustrated and described, it being understood, however, that form is not of the essence and that numerous changes may Lbe devised, specifically different forms substituted and omissions made, without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.

Other features of the invention and details ofconstruction will appear as the specification proceeds, attention being directed to the accompanying drawings forming partv thereof and.. wherein I have illustrated a practical form the invention may take.

Tn these drawings, Figure 1 is atop plan view of this Inachine,the Vgrinding wheel being omitted from this view for the sake of.

' .clearness and the supply hopper being shown 1n section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation and partsectional view of this machine; F 1g. 3 1s a broken plan view, taken on a plane l)ust above the carrier wheel and showing this wheelV Specification of Letters Patent.

trating the worm gear connection from the' drive shaft and the train of gears between the seve-ral shafts of the'machine, Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of the discharge mechanism; Fig. 9 is a similar view of the magnetic chuck and parts adjacent thereto; Fig. 10 is a detail view of the eccentric gear for operating the feed slide and Fig. 11 is a detail view of the contact mechanism controlling the energization of the magnetic chuck; Fig. 12 is a view of the mechanism for operating the grinder in time with the feeding mechanism; and Fig. 13 is a' detail of some of the parts shown in Fig. 12.

Considering the drawings now more indetail, 15 designates the base or bed of the machine, suitably constructed to. support and maintain the several parts ofthe machine.

The carrier, in the machine illustrated, is in the form of a disk or wheel 16, mounted on a shaft 17 and rotating above a supporting table 18. Grouped about the carrier wheel are charging, grinding and discharging stations 19, 2O and 21, respectively.

The form of charging means selected for illustration consists of a hopper 22 in the form of al tube of a size to receive a stack of the articles, such as the ring elements 23, and a slide 24 operating in a guide 25 and adapted to strip off the bottom article and feed the same out onto the carrier wheel and into one of the pockets 26 provided in said wheel? This feeding slide is shown operated by an oscillating arnti27, mounted on the upper end of an upright shaft 28 and connected with said slide by a link 29, said shaft being mounted in a bracket 30, outstanding from the base and operated from an eccenforms i of the carrier wheel, as indicated in Fig. 1.

lso

rPhe article-holding pockets extend entirely through the carrier wheel, from which, in connection with the foregoing, it will be apparent that as this wheel rotates, the rings or similar articles inserted into these pockets at the charging station will be carried around, 'sliding over the top of the table, onto the rotating chuck; and this chuck, being energized at this time, will gripsthe articles and cause them to rotate therewith. The carrier wheel, in the illustration, is provided with four equidistantly spaced pockets and is given an intermittent movement, each movement being a quarter revolution, and the three stations are spaced apart distances corresponding to a quarter revolution.

To reduce friction of the articles in the pockets, particularly while the articles are being rotated by the chuck, the pockets may be lined by rings 38, rotating on ball bearings 39, and thus forming anti-friction rotatable holders for the articles.

The mechanism for discharging the larticles, the faces of which have been ground, consists, in the machine shown, of a discharge chute 40 located beneath the table 18 at the discharge station and into which the articles fall through an opening 41 in the table.

Means are also provided in the illustration for turning the rings as they fall into this chute, in the form of a shelf 42 extending part way across the mouth of the chute as vindicated best in Fig. 8, and adapted, by ysupporting only the one edge of the ring, to cause it to tilt and turn over as it falls down into the chute. This reversal of the rings brings them, as they leave this machine, into proper position to be transported by suitable means to another grinding apparatus, there to have, their other faces i ground.

A guard 43, in the nature of a cover, may

be provided above the carrier wheel at the discharge station for confining the, movement of the'rings and insuring their dropping into the mouth of the chute, this guard also preventing entrance of foreign matter into the chute. This guard is preferably flat on the bottom with inclined or rounded edges to force downward any rings which may reach the discharging point in tilted positions, which might prevent them from falling into the chute. The guard may be made adjustable @y mounting it on a stem 44 adjustably engaged in a supporting bracket 45.

The several parts of lthe machine are driven in proper timing by suitable gearing, this gearing consisting in part, in the illustration, of a drive shaft 46, carrying a worm 47, meshing with a worm gear 48 on shaft 49, which carries a gear 50, meshing with gear 51 on shaft 52, gear 51 meshing also with a gear 53 on the eccentric or cam shaft 54.

The mechanism for imparting the intermittent movement to the carrier wheel is of the Geneva7 gear type, embodying an arm 55 on the cam shaft 54, carrying a roll 56 62 and 63. The chuck preferably is energized to grip the rings or other articles only at such times as the carrier has brought an article into position over the same, and is denergized before the article is `moved 0E the chuck by the next advancing movement of the carrier, this result being eHected,

working in the slots 57 in the four-armed i in the machine shown, by means of an electrie energizing circuit which is completed at the proper times by a commutator device illustrated in detail in Fig. 11, having Van insulating section 64 and a contact segment 65 of proper extent and position, engaged by a brush 66. The contact brush may be supported on the frame of the machine asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the commutator may be mounted on the cam shaft 54 which then serves also as a timing means for the electric circuit.

Means are also provided for moving the grinding element, such as the disk 34, into and out of .engagement with the rings in time with the operation of the drive for the carrier Wheel 16, so that after a ring has been ground and immediately before the next intermittent movement of the carrier,

rectly by a properly proportioned train with the intermittent drive of the carrier wheel. In Figs. 12 and 13 a schematic connections with the eccentric shaft 54. In the said device this shaft is shown as being provided with a second eccentric 67, the strap of which is connected by a link 68 with a bell crank 69, the latter being in turn connected by a pin and slot 70 with a. recipricatory slide bar 7l carrying a shifter arm or fork 72, the opposite end of which acts upon shoulders 73 upon the grinder spindle 74. The spindle, it Will be understood, is revolved continuously by suitable power means, not shown.

Manifestly other specifically different embodiments of means for moving the grinding disk back and forth in the desired rela-I tion to the periods of rest and movement of the carrier wheel may be devised. Thus,

in cases where the invention is designed asY an attachment for existing grinders containing mechanism for reciprocating the grinding disk, it is suflicient to connect and adjust the operating trains of the grinder and ,of the attachment in such manner that the two mechanisms operate. in step.

The complete cycle of operations of this particular embodiment of the invention, briefly, is as follows: Upon each stroke of the feed slide 24, a ring is `advanced out through the guideway 75 at the foot of the hopper, into one of the rotatable holders in the carrier wheel, this guideway preferably having a hinged side portion, as indicated at 76 in Fig. 3 to facilitate the feed ing movement of the articles. A quarter turn is now imparted' to the carrier Ywheel, bringing the ring therein to the rst station 37 and which in the illustration is an idle station. On the next quarter turn the first blank is carried to the grinding station, at which time it slides off the table, ou which it has been supported, onto the rotating chuck. At this time the chuck is deenergized and the grinder disk 34 is withdrawn away from the periphery of the ring.

When the ring is centralized on the chuck, the chuck is energized, grips the article and rotates it, and at the same time the grinder disk is being moved gradually inward and then outward over andv in contact with the upper face of the ring. This gives the upper exposed face of the blank the finish desired, and immediately before the commencement of the next quarter turn the grinder disk passes outward off the top of tlie ring and the chuck is denergized, Ain order to permit the ring to be carried onward again over the table, to the discharge station, where it is turned over and' sent out through the discharge chute. A fresh article is fed in at each quarter turn of the carrier wheel so that the operation is practically a continuous one, except for the intervals of time necessarily consumed in operating on the rings.

Vhile the machine is wholly automatic in operation and requires no attention further than to keep the hopper supplied with rings, it will be seen that it is relatively simple and of inexpensive construction. The

method of operating on the rings insures accurate uniform work and by reason of the high speed at which the machine can be operated it is capable of turning out a great volume of work.

What I claim as new is:

l. In grinding apparatus, the combina tion of an intermittently moving article carrier having a plurality of pockets adapted to receive and permit rotation of the articles to be ground, a rotary chuck located at a relatively fixed grinding station, and means for grinding the face of successive articles while rotated by said chuck during a period of rest of the carrier.

2. In grinding apparatus, the combination of an article carrier having a yplurality of open pockets for the reception of the articles to be ground, an intermittent drive for the carrier, a table below the carrier, a rotary chuck also below the carrier, the organization being' such that the carrier transports the articles over the table to the chuck, and grinding means operative over the chuck.

3. In grinding apparatus, the combination of a carrier wheel having a plurality of pockets adapted to receive and permit rotation of the articles to be ground, means for rotating the wheel intermittently, a rotary chuck located at a relatively' fixed grinding station, and means for grinding the face of successive articles while rotated by said chuck during a period of rest of the carrier wheel.

4. In grinding apparatus, the combination of a carrier wheel having a plurality of open pockets for the reception of the articles to be ground, an intermittent drive for the carrier, a table beneath the wheel to support the articles, a rotary chuck located below the wheel at a relatively fixed grinding station to revolve the articles in the pockets while being ground. I

5. In grinding apparatus, a carrier having a plurality of open pockets, an intermittent drive for the'carrier, a table beneath the carrier to support the articles transported by the carrier, a chuck located in a recess of the table to revolve the articles in the pockets while being ground, means for revolving the chuck, and a driven grinding disk thereover.

6. In grinding apparatus, an intermittently movable carrier wheel having open rio pockets for the articles tobe ground, a table chuck located in a recess of the table to revolvethe,l articles in the pockets While being ground.

7. In grinding apparatus, a carrier having a plurality of open pockets for the reception of the articles to be ground, an intermittent i drive for the carrier, a. table beneath the same having a chuck recess aind a discharge opening, arotary chuck in the chuck recess, and a grinding disk over the chuck 8. In grinding apparatus, an intermit- .tently movable carrier wheel having -open pockets for the articles to be ground, ay table beneath the Wheel to support the articles,

-means for placing the articles into the pockets at a fixed point, a rotary chucklocated beneath the carrier at a different polnt, and Vgrinding means operative over the chuck. f

9. In grinding apparatus, an intermittently driven carrier having pockets adapted to receive and permit rotation oi the articles to be ground, a rotary magnetic 'chuck located at a relatively fixed grinding station, and means for grinding the face of each successive; article While rotated by said `chuck during a period of rest of the carrier.

' 10. In grinding apparatus, a carrier for the articles to be ground, an intermittent i 30. drive therefor, a rotary magnetic chuck to @which the articles are transported by the carrier, and means for energizing and deenergizing the chuck in accordance with the operation of the carrier. l l i 11. In grinding apparatus, a traveling carrier having open pockets for the articles to be ground, a table beneath the carrier, a magnetic chuck onto Which the carrier advances the articles from the table, and grinding means operative over the chuck.

12. In grinding apparatus, a carrier Wheel havingopen pockets, an underlying table, a rotary magnetic chuck arranged to receive the rings from the table and to revolve the same in the pockets while being ground, an intermediate drive for the carrier wheel, and means for energizing and denergizing the chuck in accordance with the operation of the carrier. i

13. In grinding apparatus, a carrier having pockets adapted to receive and permit rotation of the articles to be ground, an intermittent drive for the carrier, a rotary chuck located at a relatively fixed grinding station, grinding means operative upon the faces of the successive articles revolved by the chuck, and means for moving said grind- .ing means into and out of action in time with the movement of'the carrier.

let.V In grinding apparatus, an article carrier having open pockets, an underlying table, a rotary chuck to which the articles are advanced by the carrier, an intermittent drive for the carrier, grinding means operative upon the faces of the successive articles revolved by the chuck, and mechanism cordinated With the carrier drive for moving said grinding means into and out of action. 15. In grinding apparatus, an article carrier, a rotary magnetic chuck, grinding means, an intermittent drive for the carrier, means for energizing and denergizing the chuck, and means for moving the grinding means into and out of action, both in accordance with the operation of the carrier.

16. In grinding apparatus, a rotary chuck, a grinding disk coperative therewith, means for intermittently transporting articles to be ground to the chuck, and mechanism connected with said means for traversing said grinding disk.

17.` In grinding apparat'us,a rotary chuck, an intermittently movable carrier for transporting the articles to be ground to the chuck, a grinding disk, and means for traversing said grinding disk during the periods of rest of the carrier.

18. In grinding apparatus, a rotary magnetic chuck, an intermittently movable carrier for transporting articles to be ground to thechuck, grinding means coperative With the chuck, and means for'energizing 95 and denergizing said chuck Atoward the beginning and end of the periods of rest of the carrier.

19. In grinding apparatus, a carrier Wheel for the articles to be ground, a magnetic chuck to Which the articles are transported by the Wheel, means for rotating the carrier Wheel intermittently and the chuck continuously, and means for automatically energizing and denergizing the chuck toward the beginning and end of the periods of rest of the carrier Wheel.

20. In grinding apparatus, a carrier Wheel having open pockets for the reception of the articles to be ground, an underlying ta-l ble, a rotary magnetic chuck adapted to receive the articles from the table, grinding means coperative with the chuck, means for energizing and denergizing the chuck, and means for moving the grinding means 115 into and out of action, both in time with the movements of the carrier Wheel.

21. In grinding apparatus, a carrier Wheel having open pockets for the reception of the articles tov be ground, an article maga- 120 zine, means for delivering articles therefrom to the pockets, a table underlying the Wheel, and a rotary chuck arranged .to receive the articles from the table and to rotate the same in the pockets of the Wheel While be- 125 ing ground.

22. In grinding apparatus, a carrier wheel having open pockets, an underlying table, and a rotary magnetic chuck located at a grinding station and lying approximately 130 in the plane of the table to rotate the articles in the pockets while being ground.

23. In grinding apparatus, a carrier for the articles to be ground, means for grinding the articles upon one face, and a discharge chute having means therein for delivering the articles in reversed position.

24. In grinding apparatus, a carrier having open pockets for the articles to be ground, an underlying table, a chuck also beneath the carrier for revolving the articles in the pockets while being ground, and means for delivering and reversing the articles by gravity.

25. In grinding apparatus, a carrier having open pockets for the articles to be ground, an underlying table, a chuck Valso beneath the carrier for revolving the articles in the pockets, grinding means over the chuck, said table having a discharge opening, and means in said opening for reversing the articles.

26. In grinding apparatus, a carrier for the articles to be ground1 a chuck beneath the carrier for rotating the articles While being ground, and a discharge chute having a ledge for reversing the articles. i

27. In grinding apparatus, a carrier Wheel having` open pockets for the articles to -be ground, an underlying table, a chuck located in a recess of the table for revolving the articles in the pockets While being ground, the table having a discharge opening at another point, and a ledge adjacent said opening for reversing the articles as they drop therethrough'.

28. In grinding apparatus, a carrier having open pockets for the articles to be ground, an intermittent drive for the carrier, an underlying support over which the carrier transports the articles, a rotary chuck located at one point beneath the path of the articles in the carrier, grinding means operative over said chuck, the underlying support ceasing atfa further point in the relation to the travel of the articles in order to permit the latte-r to be discharged by gravity, and a stationary member over this region adapted to engage displaced articles and insure their delivery.

29. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of an intermittently rotating carrier Wheel, a plurality of rotatable article holders mounted on said wheel, a rotating article-holding chuck disposed at a fixed station to revolve the articles in said holders, and a grinding element arranged to operate on the ring elements held by said rotating chuck.

30. In a machine of the character set forth, a supporting table having an opening therein, a rotating magnetic chuck Working in said opening, a carrier Wheel above said table provided with pockets extending entirely therethrough, means for charging ring elements into said pockets at a point above the table, means for rotating the carrier Wheel to advance the ring elements in the pockets over the table onto the rotating magnetic chuck, and a grinding element above `the magnetic chuck.

3l. In a machine of the character seti forth, a supporting table having an opening therein, a rotating magnetic chuck,. a carrier Wheel above said table provided With pockets extending entirely therethrough, means for charging ring elements into said pockets at a point above the table, means for rotating the carrier Wheel intermittently to advance the ring elements in the pockets over the table onto the rotating magnetic chuck and from said rotating chuck to a discharge point, and means for electrically energizing the chuck when said pockets are over the same and denergizing said chuck when said pockets are to be moved onto the discharge point.

32. In combination with grinding means, a table, a carrier rotating above said table and provided With article-receiving pockets extending entirely therethrough` said table having a discharge opening therein beyond the grinding station With Which opening the pockets in the carrier register in the rotation of the carrier, and a shelf extending part Way across said discharge opening for tilting the articles dropping from said pockets into said discharge opening.

33. In combination lvvith grinding means, a table, a carrier rotating above said table and provided With article-receiving pockets extending entirely therethrough, said table having a discharge opening therein beyond the grinding station with Which opening the pockets in the carrier register in the rotation of the carrier, a shelf extending part Way across said discharge opening for tilting the articles dropping from said pockets into said discharge opening, and a guard above the carrier overlying the discharge opening in the table.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this spccication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ZENO LITTMAN.

Vitnesses:

WALDEMAR I-I. CHADBOURNE, CHARLES A. BUCKLEY. 

